Published: 22nd August 2014
Publisher: Self published
Format: ebook
Genre: Young Adult/New Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – 5 Stars
[Disclaimer: This is a serial novella that will be told in parts about the length of a short story (20-30 pages).]
When Casey joined MyTrueMatch.com, she never imagined she would meet a man who not only helps her pay the bills, but has been nothing but a gentleman.
As the nose bleeds make way for worse symptoms, Casey can’t help the feelings she has for Jonah, despite how he may never return them. And he’s been keeping things from her. Big things. How does he make his money, and who is that girl in the picture?
With the clock ticking, can she find the answers she’s looking for?
Note: I was provided with a copy for review
This second installment in Nikki Rae’s novella The Donor doesn’t waver one bit from the interest sparked in part one. It is captivating and generates great curiosity, even offers a few more answers. The intriguing nature of the story gets you in and it is very easy to read, making it hard to drag yourself away from the story. Being so brief it does not take long to get through but despite being short, Rae manages to put a lot of mystery and interest into the story.
While there was a lot of unspoken things in part one, part two allows us to see more of Casey and Jonah’s relationship, as well as learn a bit more about Casey and why she went to MyTrueMatch.com in the first place. Flashbacks are again used in how Rae tells us about Casey’s life and her motives, but through clever dialogue and a creative narrative we are also given a few clues about the mysterious Jonah. Hints and clues are gradually dropped throughout but Rae does not spell anything out obviously.
I love how Rae is slowly revealing things to us, making us piece it together. She uses Casey’s thoughts, her conversations, and the events around her to tell us what is happening rather than giving the reader information just for the sake of knowing. The mystery is what makes this a great story and it keeps you guessing and makes you excited when you figure things out. So while we are learning a bit more about these characters but we are also given a puzzle to solve which is great.
In terms of style, Rae captures the uncertainty between the pair and the new, strange relationship they have with one another extremely well. Casey’s uneasiness and embarrassment about her condition are evident as you read, but you also see Jonah’s compassion as a result. The other complexities of Casey and Jonah’s relationship are expressed well and there is a nervous uncertainty coming from them both that gives the story a believable element. Rae uses these feelings to express great compassion from each character but also manages to draws it out from the reader as well.
Reading this story makes you realise Casey knows a lot more than the reader, she knows what she is doing and what she has gotten herself in for, and it is only slowly that the reader is able to find out. Rae does not write like Casey is telling us her story exactly, aside from flashbacks a lot of information is provided in dialogue or through Casey’s thoughts; we are mainly observers, having to piece it together ourselves. This is a great approach in my opinion, especially being a multi-part novella there is limited space and in focusing on the story there isn’t a lot of room or opportunity to stop and explain to readers, especially without ruining the surprises.
As evident with her Sunshine novels, Rae is a wonder at surprises and great, gripping narratives and this is another example of her skills. By the end you are hanging out for the third instalment and you are left excited and curious about where the story and characters will end up.
You can also now preorder The Donor Part Two from Amazon or buy a copy of Part One!
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